Study resets date of earliest animal life by 30 million years

Jun 28, 2012

University of Alberta researchers have uncovered physical proof that animals existed 585 million years ago, 30 million years earlier than all previous established records show.

The discovery was made U of A geologists Ernesto Pecoits and Natalie Aubet in Uruguay. They found fossilized tracks of a centimetre long, slug-like animal left behind 585 million years ago in a silty sediment.

Along with other U of A researchers, the team determined that the tracks were made by a primitive animal called a bilaterian, which is distinguished from other non-animal, simple life forms by its symmetry-its topside is distinguishable from its bottom side-and a unique set of 'footprints'.

The researchers say the fossilized tracks indicate the soft-bodied animal's musculature enabled it to move through the sediment on the shallow ocean floor. The pattern of movement indicates an evolutionary adaptation to search for food, which would have been organic material in the sediment.

The precise age of the tracks was calculated at the U of A by dating the age of an igneous rock that intruded into the siltstone in the area where the tracks were found. It took more than two years for U of A researchers to satisfy themselves and a panel of peer review scientists that the age of 585 million years is accurate. The dating process included a trip back to Uruguay to collect more samples of the fossilized rock and multiple sessions of mass spectrometry analysis.

U of A paleontologist Murray Gingras said when it comes to soft-bodied animals and their tracks it's not unusual for the animal's body to disappear but its tracks become fossilized.

Prior to the U of A find and age confirmation, the oldest sign of animal life was dated at 555 million years ago from a find made in Russia.

Kurt Konhauser, a U of A geomicrobiologist, says the team's discovery will prompt new questions not only about the timing of animal evolution, but also the environmental conditions under which they evolved. Konhauser explains that the challenge now is "to find out how these animals evolved to the point where they were able to move about and hunt for food."

The U of A's research team includes Ernesto Pecoits, Natalie Aubet, Kurt Konhauser, Larry Heaman, and Richard Stern and Murray Gingras. The research was published June 28, in the journal Science.

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Such arrogance Why do men even think that A "God Day" has anything to do with our dizzing trip around the sun. go back to the beginning and start With the big bang when God commanded let there be light or somthing like that and it is blatently obvious God has a much busier day than us slugs of god ; )

The pattern of movement indicates an evolutionary adaptation to search for food,

The researchers are not even at least willing to admit that this is a sheer guess. They are stating this as if it's a fact. By now the refrain should be clear - they just weren't there to document what it was like before such supposed "evolutionary adaption" occurred, nor were they there to record the result of such adaptation. Hence whatever they saw in the sediment cannot tell them anything about ANY "evolutionary adaptation". One needs to be on the lookout for such sleight of hand in these "journeys into the past" which are more story-telling than real science. The only science is that tracks were discovered and after ASSUMING that the igneous intrusion happened at the same time as the sedimentation, they determined some "age" for the tracks - and It might not be such a co-incidence at all.

ASSUMING that the igneous intrusion happened at the same time as the sedimentation,

The sedimentation had to have occurred first or the magma would have had nothing to intrude into. As such, the age of the igneous rock provides a lower bound on the age of the sedimentation: the sedimentation is as old as or OLDER than the igneous rock.

they just weren't there to document what it was like before such supposed "evolutionary adaption" occurred

While it's quite possible the people you think are your parents were present at the moment of your conception, I'm quite certain they never bothered to document that magic moment. By your logic, there's no proof you were ever conceived, at least not not in the manner you ASSUME. Perhaps your mother was impregnated by a space alien, or by God, or she eschews help and reproduces by parthenogenesis. Or quite possibly, Kevin, I am your father.

How do we know that the slugs that are here today are not the same slugs that were here 30 million years ago and that they are just very old?

why yes the first life would have been perfect and eternal because it was created in gods image.

So ergo then god is a slug although he is a VERY BIG one. With iridescent skin and what leaves a trail of caramel ice cream and appleseeds as he squirms along at lightspeed and beyond. Lightspeed offers no resistance to gods almighty WILL.

Creationists shouldn't comment on science, ridiculous but always good for a laugh. Now they are admitting that they don't care for the science - but for religious texts, fairy tales as they are known to be. That is why they have to lie as here, since lying (which a fairy tale becomes if you think it is real) leads to lying. Way to go, making a mockery of their text that, if they have read it, says that you shouldn't lie.

Yes, these are meticulously peer-reviewed facts ("It took more than two years for U of A researchers to satisfy themselves and a panel of peer review scientists") and they are known to tell us about biological behavior, hence evolutionary adaptations. Standard biology. Don't ever lie, or you will be a 'damned' fool.

"8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

-And please do not forget:

"I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.'" (Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)

First, creativelutionists random "poofing" of unrelated animals doesn't make any sense. What is the likelihood of random animals coming together on the same planet? It is literary astronomical small!

Then, creativelutionists cites their Saint Einstein 'holy' text, that says "there will be causality". Meaning there will be slugs upon slugs. Oh yeah? Then which slug made the "very big"? Also, the universe was smaller and simpler back then, hence small slugs had to slug off later big ones. You can't start with the biggest, most complex slug first.

Answer: The great slug god saw the merit of humans having one day of rest a week and so rested by example.

This is similar to the reason allah requires some (not all) muslims to eschew toilets and squat to do their business. Sit-down johns were in use during the prophets time, and allah could see that people dawdled far longer on them. And so to promote harmony among believers in chronically overcrowded societies he made them squat. Hail to the wise and pragmatic slug god of all men.

This is similar to the reason he gave islam fridays, jews saturdays, and xians sundays, as their mandatory sabbaths to be idle upon pain of death.

And hogs not only harbor trichanosis, but will consume roots and bark and so must be unclean for wholly pragmatic ecological reasons. Like women during menstruation. I am sure there is a pragmatic reason for that one too. Smell?

News Flash: Direct Observation No Longer Necessary!Researchers find that humans can solve questions such as the Earth's age, Solar System origins, and the history of Humankind, just as police solve unseen murders by using clues and evidence. .By employing tools such as evidence and data collection, research, deduction, and reasoning, it is possible to explain the past without actually having seen it. This same study shows that people with limited imagination may struggle to understand these abilities. Those who have suffered the abuse of childhood religious indoctrination may find it especially hard, but even they can come to enjoy this basic human skill if they work hard to unshackle themselves from the their irrational and totally unsubstantiated beliefs.

Was the ancient slug god possibly a relative of Ctulhu? In that case, all his followers have to look forward to is to get *eaten first*, when the Old Gods return.I think I stick to science, thank you very much ;-)

The observations tell them that the organism was moving, motivation unknown.

You are right though. The motivation may not have been for food. It could have been looking for the closest 7-11 to pick up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, or it might have been just looking for it's car keys, or a reasonably priced hooker.

"Hence whatever they saw in the sediment cannot tell them anything about ANY "evolutionary adaptation" - AquaMan

Probably because he is very old, balding and fat and in desperate need of a vacation.

However, without a universe, he had no place to take one. So he created a spa for himself, and for the last several thousand years has been getting the universes longest facial and bikini wax.

"Question: why would the great slug god need rest?" - Otto

Personally, after 6,000 years of toiling I think God owes us not just one day of rest, but 2.

Lets put the Luciferian Capitalists to death, for having taken away the Sabbath, for they have violated God's law. While we are at it, put an exclamation point on their punishment by doubling down on God's good grace.